Published: August 27,2015
Officials did not say how many people were forced from their homes by the inferno, but the evacuation orders included the town of Riggins.
Displaced residents can go to a shelter at the Riggins Community Center, if needed, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
(MORE: Air Quality Worse in Some Northwestern Towns Than Beijing)
Two massive fires could merge today in #Okanogan -- as winds pick up. @RobKIRO7 at 4:34. http://kiro.tv/LiveNews
"Part of the problem we've been having is long-lasting inversions that haven't been clearing up," fire spokesman Sheldon Keafer said. "That's hampered our air operation."
Winds up to 20 mph and hot temperatures are expected to make conditions difficult later in the day for the 500 firefighters assigned to the blaze.
Keafer said several U.S. Forest Service buildings such as lookouts and guard stations are being protected as are homes. U.S. Highway 95 remains open.
A group of fires in northern Idaho near Kamiah remained at 74 square miles as crews work to strengthen lines against the blazes that have destroyed 42 homes. Containment rose to 60 percent on the blazes burning mainly in timber and being fought by about 630 firefighters.
In central Idaho, a 7-square-mile fire burning 12 miles southeast of McCall has drawn about 350 firefighters.
That fire, burning in timber, is 30 percent contained as managers work to put in a fire line on the west and south edges.
More than 7.6 million acres have burned in wildfires this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That's well above the 10-year average of about 5.37 million acres through Aug. 26.
There are currently dozens of large wildfires burning across the West; here's an update on a few of them.
Washington
Smoke from big wildfires burning east of the Cascade Range hurt air quality Wednesday and hampered efforts by crews battling the flames in Washington state.Smoky conditions grounded helicopters and airplanes that had been fighting the fires, and air quality was rated as unhealthy for some people in Spokane County, which has nearly 500,000 residents.
Crews battling a 262-square mile blaze near the town of Republic were also battling smoke as well as flames, fire spokesman Donnie Davis said.
"Everybody up here is rubbing their eyes," Davis said. "It's brutal."
Davis said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
A wildfire in Okanogan — the largest blaze ever recorded in the state — grew to nearly 438 square miles and heavy smoke also grounded air resources, fire spokesman Rick Isaacson said.
"We're still socked in," Isaacson said. "There's maybe one mile of visibility."
A DC-10 drops fire retardant on brush to slow down flames racing toward high school in Chelan, WA. #wildfires #badass
Firefighters were able to hold their own against the wildfire Thursday, even with rising temperatures and high winds stoking the flames.
"All the lines are holding," Bernie Pineda, spokesman for the 450-square-mile fire, said Thursday afternoon. He added that the winds were actually pushing portions of the giant fire back on itself.
Heavy smoke that had grounded aircrafts lifted a bit, allowing helicopters to drop water on the flames, according to fire spokesman Rick Isaacson.
The U.S. is in the middle of a severe fire season with some 11,600 square miles scorched so far.
"You can imagine how stretched thin everybody is," said Dan Dallas, deputy incident commander of the Okanogan fire. "We're all working without the resources that in a normal year — which I don't think there is such a thing anymore — that we might have."
So many fires are burning in Washington state that officials summoned help from fire managers in Australia and New Zealand. They also got 200 U.S. troops from a base in Tacoma in the first such use of active-duty soldiers in nine years.
California
Nearly 200 firefighters have been treated for allergic reactions to poison oak while battling a stubborn blaze that has charred more than 5 square miles of dry brush on California's Central Coast, a fire official said Tuesday.The dreaded plant is intertwined with chaparral and is so ubiquitous in the steep wilderness of San Luis Obispo County that crews can't avoid it, said Bennett Milloy, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"The vegetation is so thick it's almost a jungle-like environment, and the poison oak is all wrapped up in it," he said. "In some places, it's 12 feet high."
(MORE: California's Giant Sequoia at Risk?)
More than 1,300 personnel are on the scene of the blaze near the town of Santa Margarita. The fire, sparked Aug. 16, is 90 percent contained.
None of the 16 wildfires burning around California is posing serious danger of destruction or fast spread — but that could change this week.
A heating trend with decreased humidity is set to begin and likely will peak Thursday and Friday. With it could come thunderstorms and lightning to inland areas where some of the main fires were burning, the National Weather Service said.
Schools were closed for a second day in the Southern California mountain community where crews battled a small but smoky wildfire burning through timber near a popular ski resort. Firefighters held the blaze in Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains to 100 acres. It was 30 percent contained.
To the northeast, crews made headway against a huge wildfire burning for nearly a month in the Sierra foothills east of Fresno. The 83-square-mile blaze was 21 percent contained.
Fresno County supervisors on Tuesday approved a proclamation requesting emergency funding from Gov. Jerry Brown for help with costs to fight the stubborn fire.
Oregon
Two
portable smoke monitors have arrived in Eastern Oregon, giving
officials a more accurate reading of air quality near the Canyon Creek
complex of wildfires.
One of the monitors was placed in Prairie City, which was very smoky Monday. The other will be put in Seneca.
Firefighters
battling the blaze spent Monday patrolling, improving and holding
control lines. Officials say crews are positioned to protect homes in
the residential areas of Upper Pine Creek and Upper Dog Creek.
Along
the southeastern portion of the fire, crews used existing roads and
trails to strengthen lines in preparation for a burnout operation. That
is expected to slow the progress of the blaze and corral it into the
Strawberry Wilderness.
The wildfire has destroyed more than three dozen homes. It has scorched 114 square miles and is about 30 percent contained.
Montana
A wildfire that started in the Benchmark area about 30 miles west of Augusta led to the evacuation of recreational cabins in the Lewis and Clark National Forest.The fire was reported early Tuesday afternoon. Ground crews began initial attack on the fire, but had to withdraw for safety reasons after the fire made several runs in the crowns of trees.
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton says deputies evacuated about 10 cabins along the Benchmark Road. Residents were allowed to retrieve items from their cabins, but there is a roadblock to keep non-residents out. There are about 48 cabins in the area along with a guest ranch, Forest Service campgrounds and an administrative site.
The fire was estimated at about 30 acres on Tuesday evening.
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